Comparative Analysis of Mechanical Properties in Heat-Treated Low Carbon Steel and Stainless-Steel Weldments for Redeployment Assessment
Keywords:
redeployment assessment, weld metal decommissioned metals, hardness test, Charpy impact test, fracture toughness, low carbon steel, stainless steelAbstract
This study presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of mechanical properties between low carbon steel Grade C1029 and stainless-steel Grade SS304 weldments subjected to heat treatment profiling. Destructive testing methods including Charpy V-Notch impact testing and hardness testing were employed to evaluate the mechanical behavior of weld metal (WM), heat affected zone (HAZ), and base metal (BM) regions. The Charpy impact test results revealed that stainless steel Grade SS304 exhibited superior toughness with average absorbed energy values of 42.3J (WM), 55.7J (HAZ), and 61.3J (BM), compared to low carbon steel Grade C1029 with values of 16.7J (WM), 47J (HAZ), and 51J (BM). Hardness testing showed distinct hardness profiles across the weld zones for both materials, with carbon steel exhibiting greater variation (HAZ: 416 N/mm², PM: 682 N/mm²) compared to stainless steel (HAZ: 502 N/mm², PM: 511 N/mm²). The results indicate that stainless steel maintains better structural integrity and can remain safe for engineering applications even at sub-zero temperature conditions, while carbon steel weld metal demonstrates vulnerability to failure under tensile loading. The weld metal of carbon steel at 16.7J absorbed energy cannot remain safe within its tensile capability range, indicating potential failure risk. These findings provide scientific guidance for the redeployment of decommissioned metals in structural applications, establishing that stainless steel demonstrates superior redeployment potential compared to carbon steel.
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